After a good nights rest, Hestia and I geared up to head out. I decided to pack up some of our things, hoping to start the move. I had already let Leonard know about our plan to move to the harbor, and he said there would be a place for us when we arrived. So I packed as much as Hess could carry. Some was typical, clothes, toiletries, blankets, books, along with art supplies and personal items. Then there was supplies leftover from crafting Hess's saddle, sketches of the designs and tools used to create it along with food and medical supplies we still have left. Once that was done, we sat down to catch our breathe and have some breakfast. Hopefully we could get going with little interference and some lucky breaks. Hestia didn't think so.
{_I would say when pigs fly, but I already said that shit_} Hestia muttered.
"Lighten up Hess, we can do this. Just remember, I'm always beside you." I assure her, she must be nervous.
Hestia sighed, {_I know, but what if you have trouble with that Hannah girl, or what if you get hurt by a monster. How am I supposed to help them if it means you are left alone?_}
"Believe in me." I say to her.
{_I do! But I don't believe in them, not yet at least._} Hestia commented.
I shake my head, knowing she wouldn't stop worrying about me. It's not like we've had smooth sailing through this, but still some tranquility was needed. How could I give assurance to her, knowing this was all knew for both of us. Even if she'd been relaxed, I would be the one freaking out. I guess we just have to go along with the flow. So after breakfast, I climbed onto the saddle and strapped the harness on. Once I was safely strapped in, Hestia flared her wings and began ascending in the air slow and steady. With extra weight, she wanted to be careful with her flight pattern.
As we flew I thought about what Averia said. She hadn't spoken to me last night, which was a bit of a relief and kind of disappointing to be honest. But her words are stuck in my head. I still couldn't believe I was the ruler of a never before known world. I was also in disbelief about there even being another world, one filled with magic and mythical creatures. This was probably the most logical information about how Earth became this way, but still felt unbelievable. At least to me anyway. Within an hour we were in Galveston and heading back to the battleship museum. I could feel that Hestia was still tense, but trying to stay calm. I was going through similar feelings about this, but we had no choice. They needed our help, and no one else would do this. Salia also said that we would have to help others like us, so it was only right to do this. Still nerve wracking as hell, but the right thing to do. After that thought, we spotted the ship and the dragons and glided down. Hestia touched down gracefully in front of Daenerys and Leonard, and I unstrapped from my harness and slid down her side.
"Welcome back Anna." Leonard said, "We hope you two know what your doing."
{_Damn right we do. Still doubting us after last night will only make this harder for you all._} Hestia commented.
Leonard coughed, clearly intimidated by my Hess. Daenerys shifts from side to side as Hestia glares at them. This is how I know Hestia is still on the fence about them, so gives a bit of hell in her words. Just like me, she won't take no shit from others no matter the situation. I proud about how much she has grown.
"That's enough Hestia. We're not going to make a mess of this." I turned to Leonard, "Can you take us to our cabin now Leonard. We need to get somethings together before we start training."
He nodded, "Of course, and please call me Leo. Its sounds less old."
Leo chuckled before gesturing for us to come along. We walked past the other cabins before coming across the one we would occupy. It was bigger than the shack, but still small and cozy. Apparently Leo had worked as Forman and built these for others who would join them in the future. It had taken two years to build them all. He really did a good job. The cabin was made of oak and pine wood, with a tin rooftop. It had four small windows, two one the front and two at the back. There was one door leading in and out. Inside the cabin was separated into three rooms. The biggest was a living room with a built in fireplace for cooking. The others were the same size, but one looked to be a bathroom. I was shocked about how well it was made.
"Everything you need is here from a place to cook to a place to clean up. It's all yours and everything behind it was good for Hestia." Leo said.
"How did you manage this?" I asked.
He smiled, "When we first got here, we had used the surrounding buildings as shelter, but then we became bonded. After that, We spent four months clearing the old building since they were damaged, then started to build the base the way we needed it. We have accomplished a lot."
I nodded, "That's good to know, since it will take that ingenuity and dedication to get through this."
{_And we are ready for it._} Daenerys said.
Leo agreed and offered to help me. Since it was best to start soon, I allowed it. We spent thirty minutes putting away all the things I had brought, before heading to the dinning hall for a meeting with the group. As Hestia and I followed Leo and Daenerys, we talked about what needed to be learned first and what changes should be made. Hestia wanted to start with flying, since it would be the main method of transportation. I agreed and so it was decided to be our first lesson. Next would be expanding the senses and after would be connecting with eachother. That would be the hardest one, likely pushing them all to there limits. Once they mastered it though, everything else would fall into place. It wasn't long before we reached the others. Everyone was here and ready, so I wasted no time in beginning.
"Listen up everyone, Hestia and I are going to be teaching you more about your strengths and abilities. We expect all of you to listen and do as we say, Leo already agreed to this so if you all respect him then there will be no objections." I say, particularly to Hannah since she is already glaring at me.
I continued, "First will be flying. I have seen your flying styles and honestly...It sucks." Their eyes widened, "Not just human but dragon as well, so first will be proper ways to secure yourself to the dragon, then how the dragon should ascend the air."
With that Leo told them to climb on their dragons. I went around to everyone and made sure they were sitting in the best way possible. Hannah sneered when I came by, but after stating she looked like a koala, listened to my advice. By guiding them where their foot needed to be, hands should hold on, and the best place to fit into, all of them were sitting up right and strong in no time. After that, I climbed on to Hestia and she guided the dragons on the best way to ascend in the air.
{_Stand straight and start to gently flap your wings over and over in a steady rhythm, let the momentum build. Do not jump into the air if your rider can't properly hold on, you will only hurt them. As you flap your wings, the momentum will start to lift you off the ground. Make sure your claws are relaxed and allow your body to rise._} She said, the dragons holding on to each word.
As the dragons became airborne, Hestia walked under them in order to inspect their wings. Some had good wing strength and were able to stay in one position easily, other not so much. Helanti was gasping and wheezing by the time they touched down. She was not happy about her apparent weak flying.
{_I'm DAMN good flyer, and you and human don't get to say otherwise._} She snapped when Hestia told her she needed to train more, but that wasn't all, {_ My rider and I are fastest in the group, we can be here to your little hovel in a blink and you wouldn't no it._}
She hissed at Hess with the same condescending attitude as Hannah. Cleary she was just as much of a bitch. I shook my head at her disrespect and felt tempted to let Hestia pounce on her for it.
Still we trained, and did so for hours. Only when the sun went down did we stop, but knew we had to pick it up again in the morning. After the little torture session, as William and Draco joked, we all went back to our own cabins for dinner and sleep. I was ready to crash, but was pestered by Hess to eat first. After assuring her I would, she went off to hunt. Once I was done eating, I decided to explore the base a bit more.
So I grabbed a warm coat and slipped on my leather boots. It was almost winter and the sea breeze made it much colder than it really was. I stepped outside and started wondering around, making sure to take notice of the layout. I didn't go to far before Connor found me. Apparently Monti had left to hunt, so he was hoping to show me around. I agreed to his offer of a tour, so he linked his arm to mine and started showing me all the different places and thing they had built.
The water tank consists of rain catchers connected by PVC pipes to a large steel tank. The tank was eight feet tall and ten feet in diameter with a mineral filter in the middle. It had mesh netting to keep debris from getting inside, and a solar powered UV light strapped to the lid. It was a work of art in it's own way and goes to show the skills of the group. Still it was only the beginning. Next was the dinning hall. It was built on a stone platform with wooden pillars holding a tin rooftop. The whole thing was open and there were picnic tables under the roof. There was also a big buffet style counter at the right end, and a trailer that is used as a kitchen behind it. It was the perfect outdoor dining area in my eyes.
"That was actually finished two weeks ago." Connor said.
I laughed, causing him to blush. He then steered me to the medic bay. It was another wooden cabin, but built solely for the sick and injured. The inside had up to eight beds in the middle and a bathroom to the left. To the right was a wash basin and cabinets for medical equipment and supplies. Even a deep freezer for anything that had to be kept cold. It was powered by a solar battery. That led to the next location, what they call the solar farm. Five panels, each one checked regularly, that had been linked to the kitchen and medic bay. According to Connor, this was the first thing Leo had started to build, and yet it was only finished three months ago. That actually surprised me, Leo said they started to build the base two years ago, but only finish this recently. I guess I figured he would have gotten it in a year, but that just me.
All in all it was an impressive feat, especially considering the size of the pier. I couldn't help but think that maybe this would be Hestia and my forever home. It was no palace, but after the Haze, it was just perfect. Connor agreed as well, saying they built this all so no of them would have to leave. I nodded, understanding that hope. I never wanted to leave my old home, and now here I am in a new one.